1. Heat oil and butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add onion soften it a bit, then add curry powder, and salt. Cook for about 5 min. until onion begins to brown.

2. Add rinsed and drained chickpeas to skillet, stirring until coated with curry-onion mixture. Turn heat to medium low and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Add dash of cayenne. Add water if needed.

Mango, манго – дары тропиков (Photo credit: Tatters:))

3. Stir in the frozen mango (or fresh if you have access to good fruit) , bring to a boil, then cover and let simmer, covered for 5 more minutes. Check to see if the curry needs more liquid to create a sauce. If it does, then add up to 1/2 cup of water. Add the chopped cilantro now, but save a little to sprinkle on top at the end. Cover again and cook for 10 minutes or until it looks good!

4. If you have the patience and time, take it off the burner let it sit off the heat for 10 more minutes for the flavors to develop. I added 1/3 c. of plain yogurt before letting it sit. (If you are in a hurry, it is okay to eat it now. We often do.)

Curry in the spice-bazaar (egypitan) in Istanbul (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Serve over Basmati rice with a dusting of cayenne on top. Serve w/ lime wedges to squeeze over the top and a bit more chopped cilantro, too.

Some possible variations: use peaches instead of mangoes, top with finely diced scallions, top with toasted cashews or roasted peanuts.

Aloo gobi, an Indian dish prepared with cauliflower and potato (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Another of my favorite curry recipes is the Aloo Gobi from the special feature reel of the “Bend It Like Beckham” DVD. Here is the written recipe. You can watch the video from youtube below if you have about 15 minutes. It is very entertaining. I love to watch the mother and the grandmother supervising the daughter. Good stuff! (and I’m not just talking about the curry).